DISEASES OF POULTRY. 65 



dual acari. The mucous surface of the air -sacs may 

 also be covered with yellowish points of exudate, the 

 result of the irritation caused by the parasite, while 

 the bronchi are congested and partly filled with mucus. 

 In extreme cases there may also be pneumonia. 



Treatment. — Megnin recommends giving sulphur 

 mixed with the food and states that the small quan- 

 tity volatilized and eliminated by the lungs is suffi- 

 cient to kill the parasites. Others advise fumigation 

 with the vapors of burning tar or the steam from boiling 

 tar water. If this mite is discovered in the flock, efforts 

 should be made to entirely eradicate it. No birds 

 from an infected flock should be sold for breeding 

 purposes. Feeding sulphur and fumigations may be 

 tried, but the flock should be carefully watched, and 

 if the parasite persists in spite of this treatment, it 

 would be better to kill off all the birds, disinfect thor- 

 oughly and start with new birds from a flock known 

 to be healthy. One of the best plans to secure a flock 

 free from parasites of all kinds is to purchase eggs, 

 hatch them in an incubator, raise the chicks in a clean 

 brooder and put them on ground that has not been 

 used for fowls for several years. There are so many 

 parasites to which birds are subject, that may be 

 avoided in this way, that we would recommend the 

 plan to all who have discovered that their fowls are 

 infested with parasites, or who for some mysterious 

 reason have failed to make poultry thrive and yield 

 satisfactory returns under ordinary conditions. 



